


Wait for me to come home

by Cottonness



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: #JohnJaeWeek2021, #JohnJaeWeek2021 Day 2, Alternate Universe - High School, Drive-In Movie Dates, House Parties, M/M, Overall its fluffy, Underage Drinking, and eye fucking, doyu if you squint, jaehyun's an exchange student, johnny is the host family's son, mentioned recreational drug use, there's a lot of blushing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29406381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cottonness/pseuds/Cottonness
Summary: Immediately, his eyes caught a tall young man - either in his late teens or early twenties - with long brown hair that was parted in the middle, wearing a slightly oversized hoodie and jeans. His eyes were warm and brown, sparkling even under the too bright fluorescent lights of the airport. His mouth was curved into a smile, as if he was happy to be at the airport where everyone else was busily trying to get through to wherever they were needed next.The man must have felt Jaehyun’s stares, as the next second, his eyes landed on Jaehyun who was literally standing still, looking right at the man. He felt his face grow hot, immediately looking away, when Jaehyun’s eyes landed on what the man he was staring at was holding in his hands.“Welcome to Chicago, Jaehyun!”
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 14
Kudos: 104
Collections: JohnJae Fan Week 2021





	Wait for me to come home

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNY AND JAEHYUN!  
> My dear February boys, you deserve the whole world.
> 
> I apologise for submitting this on the last day, Life got in the way and I couldn't finish it till now ;;
> 
> Anyways, this if for #JohnJaeWeek2021 Day 2, Photography! Title is from "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran

Jaehyun doesn’t know what’s louder, the sound of his heart widely beating inside his ribcage or the sounds of rolling suitcase wheels and the people bustling about.

There’s a rush of excitement going through him, a wave of energy rushing up his body as he tries his best to not run around mad, giggling like a preschooler going to his first field trip. No, he’s seventeen, and he just endured the gruelling 14 hour plane ride from South Korea to Chicago. He takes a deep breath, steading himself before following the people towards the arrival gates.

It’s not his first time in the States, he lived in Connecticut for four years when he was younger, but it was definitely his first time being so far away from his home and parents, all alone. It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t nervous and terrified (he really was - he couldn’t sleep a wink the night before his plane ride), but he also felt giddy and excited for whatever that was coming along next.

He’s also glad his host family are Korean American; he spoke to them a couple of times on the phone before he left Korea, and Mr. and Mrs. Suh seemed more than delighted to welcome Jaehyun into their home. _“We only have one son, you know. He’s a year older than you, a senior in high school.”_ Mrs. Suh had told Jaehyun during one of their calls, and Jaehyun could only hope their son was just as nice as them. _“We’ll send Youngho to pick you up at the airport, don’t worry!”_ Mrs. Suh texted Jaehyun just as he was about to board his plane, and Jaehyun felt his stomach doing a nervous flip. He was rather good at meeting parents and anyone who was around his parents’ age; he has been complimented many times for his good looks and sweet smile, mother’s had always cooed at him for being polite and charming in comparison to their own sons and daughters. But people his age, or someone a little older than him tended to scare Jaehyun out. Especially considering the fact this Youngho person was most likely much more Americanised than anyone who Jaehun had met before.

Taking a deep breath, Jaehyun wheeled his two huge suitcases towards the arrival gates, looking around for anyone who seemed young enough to be the Suh’s son. Immediately, his eyes caught a tall young man - either in his late teens or early twenties - with long brown hair that was parted in the middle, wearing a slightly oversized hoodie and jeans. His eyes were warm and brown, sparkling even in the too bright fluorescent lights of the airport. His mouth was curved into a smile, as if he was happy to be at the airport where everyone else was busily trying to get through to wherever they were needed next.

The man must have felt Jaehyun’s stares, as the next second, his eyes landed on Jaehyun who was literally standing still, looking right at the man. He felt his face grow hot, immediately looking away, when Jaehyun’s eyes landed on what the man he was staring at was holding in his hands.

_“Welcome to Chicago, Jaehyun!”_

Jaehyun did a double take, almost tripped over his feet when he saw the sign the man was holding. On something that looked like poster paper, his name was written in a big black marker, and the man he was ogling at a few seconds was holding it.

“Jaehyun!”

Before Jaehyun could even wrap his mind around what was happening, the tall man was calling out his name, waving towards him as if they were long lost friends, reuniting at the airport after a decade. The blush was probably spreading to his ears and neck, as Jaehyun shuffled towards the man who he assumed to be Youngho, fumbling around with his big suitcases.

“Jaehyun! I’m so glad I caught you before you got lost - there’s always a bunch of people at the airport and it’s always so busy, wouldn’t want you to be left all alone when it’s your first time---”

Youngho started speaking rapidly the second Jaehyun got closer to him, his wide smile showing his teeth and eyes sparkling. Jaehyun was dumbfounded - he obviously understood quite a bit of English, but at the same time, it was rusty and this Youngho guy was speaking way too quickly for him to understand what was going on.

“You are Jaehyun, right?” Youngho said a second later, voice way quieter and toned down after he noticed the stunned expression on Jaehyun’s face. Broken from his trance, Jaehyun nodded immediately. “I - I am, I’m Jeong Jaehyun.”

“Oh, _thank god_ , mom would’ve killed me if I brought the wrong guy home!” Youngho said, chuckling to himself. His smile is infectious, Jaehyun noted to himself, not being able to hide the way his lips were forming into a smile, the tips of his ears still a burning shade of red.

“Hey, let me help you with that!” Youngho said a moment later, reaching down to take one of Jaehyun’s suitcases. Mumbling an awkward “thank you”, Jaehyun handed over one of his suitcases to Youngho. The taller man beamed at him, easily taking the suitcase from his hands. “No problem! Wouldn’t want you tripping over your suitcases like you almost did earlier.” Youngho said with a cheeky grin. Jaehyun felt his cheeks redden again, and before he was able to come up with a coherent reply, Youngho interrupted his thoughts. “Should we get going? I’m guessing you’re tired after the flight.”

“Uh, yes. That would be nice.” Jaehyun hastily said, nodding. Youngho smiled, the one where his eyes sparkled and his pink lips stretched like a cat’s across his face. “Great! I parked my car over there!”

❝ ❞

“I heard you lived in Connecticut before, but did you go to public school?” Youngho asked once both he and Jaehyun had settled into the car, a couple minutes into the ride.

Jaehyun cleared his throat, racking through his brain to come up with a reply. “Yes, I went to public school while I lived there.” He internally cringed at how stiff he sounded in comparison to Youngho. Youngho, on the other hand, seemed to take no notice, humming along to the music playing from the radio. “That’s cool - did you visit any other states while you lived there?”

“Um….” Jaehyun thought back to his distant childhood memories of when he lived in Connecticut. He vividly remembers visiting New York and New Jersey, but besides that, nothing popped up. “I think I went to New York and New Jersey a couple of times.” Jaehyun said after a while, sneaking a glance at Youngho’s side profile, his eyes focused on the road ahead of him. “Yeah, New York’s cool for sure. My cousin lives there so I go every now and then.”

“It’s my first time in Chicago though,” Jaehyun added a moment later, hoping he sounded okay. He was never sure how his sentences sounded until he said them out loud, and while he knew he sounded practically fluent, his English was definitely rusty. Youngho’s face broke into a wide grin, turning his face to look at Jaehyun for a second. “Aw, I can’t wait to show you around! I really hope you’ll go back to Korea with nice memories.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you.” Jaehyun said softly, feeling his heart shimmer in excitement. There was something so genuine in the elder’s tone that made Jaehyun feel shy and warm at the same time; the way his eyes constantly sparkled with mirth, and how excited he seemed to be talking to Jaehyun made him feel less nervous and more welcomed.

“I heard you want to become an architect, right? Chicago’s really famous for architecture so I really think you’ll enjoy going to all these sick places. To be honest, I don’t know much about architecture but I like taking pictures and all that so I’ll gladly take you to wherever you want to go.” Youngho said, speaking way too fast for Jaehyun to comprehend. He was talking something about architecture, Jaehyun was sure, and besides that, he caught about maybe 50% of what he was saying. He understood it, but the words weren’t translating into Korean fast enough for him to come up with a response.

Jaehyun sat there, his mind running around, trying to come up with something to say, when he noticed Youngho was also silent, biting down onto his bottom lip. His eyebrows were furrowed, and was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. They sat in silence, both not knowing what to say when Johnny suddenly broke the silence.

_“Did I… speak too fast?”_

Surprised, Jaehyun turned to face Youngho, who had a faint blush on his sheeps, still biting down on his bottom lip. _“I don’t speak Korean well, I’m sorry.”_ The elder continued, speaking slowly, letting the words roll off his tongue, as if he were making sure of the words coming out of his mouth as he said them aloud.

“No, it’s fine. I mean, you did speak a little too fast but,” Jaehyun stammered, his mind in awe at the sight of the blushing Youngho, and his heart swelling at the sound of his slightly accented Korean. _“Your Korean is fine, hyung.”_

It was Youngho’s turn to now look surprised, his eyebrows shooting up as he turned to look at Jaehyun. “Nobody… nobody’s called me ‘hyung’ before.” He said in a small voice, a smile creeping onto his face. _“I like it.”_

“And, I’m sorry if I speak really fast. I’ll try my best to slow down, but let me know if you don’t understand something, okay?” Johnny said, turning back to face the road. “You can ask me anything.”

Jaehyun felt a relief flooding through him, the knots in his stomach becoming untied, allowing himself to fully slump into the seat for the first time. He had always been ambitious, his friends back at home said he had a competitive streak, and while he knew his English was good enough to get by on day to day occasions, he couldn’t help but feel anxious about living in a country where not many people understood his mother tongue. Sure, his host family were Korean, but that wasn’t enough for him to feel at ease. He had spent the night before his flight anxious and unable to sleep, and in the plane too, he found himself constantly worrying about his English.

But now, sitting in Youngho’s car next to him, Jaehyun finally felt at ease. There was something so reassuring about Youngho, whether it was the way he talked or the way he poised himself, Jaehyun found himself feeling alright for once.

“Hyung, I can teach you Korean if you want,” Jaehyun said after a moment of silence. The thought suddenly came to him; Johnny said his Korean wasn’t good, and while it wasn’t terrible, it was obvious he wasn’t as used to speaking in Korean compared to English. “In return, you can teach me English.”

It seemed like a brilliant plan for Jaehyun, and he found himself beaming at Youngho, who shot a quick glance his way before going back to the road. “Your English is literally perfect, dude.”

Jaehyun laughed out loud at that, shaking his head. “I don’t know any slang, and I’m definitely going to need some help for classwork, and stuff. So Youngho hyung can help me then.”

The elder hummed in response, slowing the car down as they came to stop at a red light. “You know, nobody, well, besides mom I guess, calls me Youngho,” Jaehyun’s mouth formed a small “o”, blinking his eyes as he looked at Youngho. “Everyone calls me Johnny or John. You’re welcome to call me whatever, as long as you keep the hyung.” The cheeky grin was back on his face as Youngho - no Johnny, looked at Jaehyun.

“Okay, well, _Johnny hyung_ ,” Jaehyun said a moment later once the car began to move again. “Do we have a deal, or no?” He knew his cheeks were flushing a little, the name foreign on his tongue and yet he couldn’t help but smile at the sound of it.

Johnny glanced over, the easy-going smile on his face that Jaehyun found himself becoming blinded by each time, nod. “ _Of_ _course_.”

❝ ❞

It was almost scary how easily Jaehyun found himself settling into Chicago.

Without doubt, the Suh’s and their constant kindness and everso considerations helped Jaehyun feel at home, along with Mrs. Suh’s homemade Korean food that never failed to make his mouth water. Jaehyun found himself being able to keep up with his classes without much difficulty, never being afraid to ask for help, whether it was from a teacher, classmate, or Johnny, when he needed it. He found friends, well, Johnny’s friends who were more than welcoming of Jaehyun and took him in immediately. Jaehyun found himself slipping into the passenger seat of Johnny’s car without thinking every morning.

He was even beginning to dream in English.

_Click_

“Johnny hyung,” Jaehyun couldn’t help but whine, immediately feeling the tips of his ears go red as he covered his face with his hands. Johnny smiled behind the camera, bringing it away from Jaehyun’s reach before he could complain. “I thought you said you liked taking photos of scenery.”

The elder shrugged, plopping down onto the couch behind him. “Sure, I like taking photos of scenery but I like taking whatever that’s natural and beautiful.” He said nonchalantly, furrowing his eyebrows as he began flicking through the photos he took on his camera. Jaehyun hummed back, desperately pretending to be immersed into whatever tab was open on his laptop, praying to his ears and cheeks to not be turning into a blooming shade of red.

It was another lazy afternoon. Jaehyun should have been working on his presentation for his history class, and Johnny should have been studying for his chemistry test tomorrow morning, but they were both too tired, fed up with school and were in the midst of procrastinating. Jaehyun had gotten so used to the Suh’s and their home, he found himself sleeping on their couch, studying at the kitchen table more than he did in his given room. He also found himself lounging around in Johnny’s room, slinking down on his big bean bag and refusing to get up and Johnny hauled him up.

And then, there was Johnny. Jaehyun definitely spent more time with Johnny than anyone else. As he has promised, Johnny took him to all sorts of places around Chicago, from the Bean to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, letting stay and walk around for as long as he wanted. Johnny always had his camera with him, a gift from his parents when he turned 16, and always snapping photos of both the scenery and Jaehyun. Jaehyun wasn’t used to having the camera pointed at him so often, found himself blushing and trying to push the camera away. Johnny always laughed, refusing to delete the photos he took. “You look fine, Jaehyun.” He said, smiling as he flicked through his photos.

“Why do you take so many photos of me, hyung?” Jaehyun asked, watching Johnny who seemed to be going through his camera again.

“Hmmm?” Johnny hummed back, momentarily lifting his head to face Jaehyun. “Why I take so many photos of you?”

Jaehyun nodded, hoping the blush on his cheeks wasn’t so obvious. Johnny chuckled, putting his camera down. “You’re pretty to look at and take photos of.” Johnny said matter of factly, making his way to where Jaehyun was perched on the kitchen table. “And, it’s fun watching you squirm and get embarrassed after I take photos of you.” He snickered as Jaehyun groaned, covering his face with his hands again.

 _“Your ears are so red, Jaehyunnie~”_ The elder teased, suddenly switching to Korean. This was something he often did nowadays, switching to Korean whenever he spoke to Jaehyun. All of Johnny’s friends and his parents realised how often he spoke in Korean now, surprised at how quickly he was improving. Jaehyun couldn’t help but feel somewhat proud, not only of Johnny for improving so quickly, but also of himself; Johnny always attributed his growing skills to Jaehyun whenever someone commented on his Korean, and Jaehyun felt like he was glowing when Johnny draped his arm around his shoulders, bringing him closer to compliment and thank Jaehyun for being a wonderful teacher.

Besides, Jaehyun found Johnny trying to pronounce new and unfamiliar Korean words absolutely endearing. The way he knitted his eyebrows while thinking, how he jutted his lips out when he was confused, all the little things Johnny did while trying his best to speak in his mother tongue made Jaehyun’s heart swell with adoration. It was also without doubt that his own English skills were growing rather rapidly as well, and it was all thanks to Johnny. Johnny was ever so patient, stopping his own studying to help Jaehyun whenever he seemed stuck or asked for help. Jaehyun almost felt bad, asking Johnny to help him with something that was so simple and stupid. But Johnny never said anything, simply leaning over to help Jaehyun whenever he needed it.

It surprised Jaehyun how comfortable he felt with Johnny; they obviously spent a lot of time together, after all they lived with each other and all that, but even besides that, they had so much in common and it was obvious that Johnny was rubbing off on Jaehyun and vice versa. Johnny let Jaehyun play with his camera, something apparently no one was ever able to do because of how much he treasured it, and it made Jaehyun glow to think about the photos of Johnny he took on the elder’s camera.

“Oh yeah, I meant to ask you,” Johnny said suddenly, breaking Jaehyun out of his thoughts. “Remember how you were saying you wanted to go to a drive-in movie theatre? I thought we could go this weekend, to celebrate you finishing your presentation, and all.”

Jaehyun’s ears immediately perked up at the sound of drive in theatres: he had been wanting to go to one since forever, especially after watching a bunch of American teen films growing up. There wasn’t anything similar to it (or at least to his knowledge) in Korea, and no one around besides adults were able to drive, anyways. Going to a drive-in theatre was one of the things on his bucket-list during his year abroad, and he had told Johnny about it earlier on when the elder asked if there was anything Jaehyun wanted to do in Chicago.

Sensing Jaehyun’s enthusiasm, Johnny let out a laugh as he reached over to ruffle Jaehyun’s hair. “Great, I was hoping you’ll say yes - I already booked our tickets online.”

"You - you did? For me?" Jaehyun asked, sounding a little breathless. Johnny smiled, nodding. "You deserve it, Jay. And, I haven't been to a drive-in in so long, anyways. It'll be fun."

Jaehyun didn't doubt Johnny's words at all; wherever he went with Johnny, it was always fun. Being with Johnny was fun.

❝ ❞

Turns out, the rest of their friend group somehow found about their plans and decided to tag along. Not that Jaehyun minded - he loved his friends and always had a good time with them - but a small part of him was hoping he'll get to spend the time with Johnny alone.

"Can I go on your car? I don't want to drive with Doyoung and Tayeong, they bicker all the goddamn time and I'm going to go insane by the time we're out of here." Yuta, one of Johnny's best friends since forever suddenly rapped on the window of Johnny's car, speaking before Johnny rolled down the window all the way.

Sighing, Johnny closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose while Yuta went on about how annoying Doyoung and Taeyong were, pinching and shoving each other any chance they got. "I can't even focus on the movie if they're anywhere near me, let alone in a fucking car? Come on Johnny-yah, please let me in your--"

"No."

Johnny said flatly, cutting Yuta off. Yuta seemed surprised by Johnny's bluntness, eyes widening before squinting them a second later. "What do you mean 'no'? Do you want me to suffer John, because you know how annoying and loud they can be when they're bickering--"

"For god's sakes Yuta, you made the decision to come with them, you might as well suck it up and stop shitting on them. I don't know, call Taeil hyung or Winwin or something if you can't stand Taeyong and Doyoung that much." Johnny said exasperatedly, rolling the window up before Yuta could open his mouth away.

Yuta went away seconds later, mouthing something along the lines that looked like _"You little shit"_ to Jaehyun and flipping Johnny off before sulkily walking back to Doyoung's car. Johnny shook his head as he watched his best friend walk away, turning to Jaehyun. "I'm sorry about... them. They just wouldn't leave me alone when I told them we're going to the drive-in this weekend."

"No, it's alright." Jaehyun said softly - because it was alright, although he was a little bummed he wasn't able to spend the night with Johnny alone. Johnny sighed once more, offering a little smile to Jaehyun before turning the engine off. "Let's go to the trunk, yeah? I have the cushions and blanket and stuff there."

Jaehyun's heart did a little leap when he climbed out of the passenger seat and went to the trunk. He knew Johnny was talking about renting a truck from someone so Jaehyun could have the "real, teen movie drive-in experience" but the trunk of Johnny's car was more than enough. It was obvious Johnny had put a lot more time than Jaehyun was aware of for tonight, and the thought of Johnny preparing all these things for him made his heart clench.

"Do you...like it?" Johnny asked shyly, toying with the gravel on the ground with his foot. "Like it? Hyung, I _love_ it. I don't know when you had the time to prepare all this but -- I love it hyung, really. Thank you so much."

Johnny beamed, his whisker-like dimples showing up on his cheeks. "Mom helped me out, actually. Said you deserved it all. I thought so too, of course. Wanted you to enjoy your first drive-in movie."

Jaehyun cheeks hurt from smiling so widely, and the movie hadn't even started. Johnny truly did so much for him - he had somehow managed to squeeze in an inflatable mattress covered with spotless white sheet, a bundle of blankets to keep warm, and cushions to lean back against. Johnny also already had grabbed some popcorn and large sized soda's for the both of them, fully living up to Jaehyun's dreams.

While Jaehyun didn't follow the movie too well (the audio wasn't great - he couldn't catch half of what was going on) and it usually took him a moment longer to understand all the jokes, he enjoyed every minute of it. Johnny explained to him the movie was an old American classic, a movie he enjoyed when he was younger. It was nice to see him laugh at the jokes, and then turn around to explain them to Jaehyun - something they couldn't have done in an actual movie theatre.

As the movie went on, Jaehyun realised how close he and Johnny were sitting next to each other. Johnny, either he didn't realise or decided to take no notice of it, seemed to be immersed into the movie all the while letting his arm reach out and pulled Jaehyun closer to his side. Surprised, flustered, and definitely elated, Jaehyun let his smaller frame be pulled closer, resting his head on the elder's broad shoulders. While it wasn't all that cold outside, they definitely needed the blanket and Jaehyun moved the blanket so it'll drape both him and Johnny.

Besides having to hear the constant yelps of either of Taeyong, Yuta, and Doyoung from the car next to them, the whole experience was absolutely magical. There was something so sweet and wonderful about sitting next to Johnny, in the trunk of his car under the same blanket, hearing and literally feeling Johnny's laughter resonate into his own body, being able to talk in hushed voices to one another. It was a different feeling to watching a movie in an actual theatre or watching at home on the Suh's leather couch, and Jaehyun absolutely loved every second of it.

"So, how was your first drive-in experience?"

Johnny asked once the movie was finished and they were driving back home. After the movie, they all grabbed dinner together, Yuta complaining about how much of a bitch Johnny was for abandoning him with Taeyong and Doyoung, while the latter two bickered and and huffed over how loud Yuta was throughout the whole movie.

Jaehyun laughed, watching Johnny nod and comment on something either one of them said every now and then, barely concealed exasperation plastered on his face. While dinner was an eventful matter, Jaehyun was ready to get back and spend the rest of the night peacefully with Johnny, and he knew Johnny was too. After saying goodbye to their friends, the two went back to their car, Jaehyun immediately taking care of the music while Johnny started the engine.

"It was... a lot better than I imagined it to be." Jaehyun finally said, listening to the quiet hums of Johnny singing along to the music and the gentle hums of the car.

"Really? Even with all the kids running around and Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung being annoying the whole time?" Johnny chuckled, sending a sideway glance at Jaehyun. The younger laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "They were extra entertainment."

Johnny laughed loudly at that, his bright laugh sending Jaehyun's heart into overdrive. "Well, as long as you enjoyed it, Jaehyun. That's all that matters."

"I did," Jaehyun said. Looking at Johnny, who was looking straight at the road. "I did, hyung. Thank you."

Jaehyun was sure he caught Johnny blushing, his cheeks a little red and flushed. It didn't help to make his own blush go away.

❝ ❞

"There's a game next week," Jungwoo suddenly said.

Johnny hummed in response, and Jaehyun kept his eyes focused on his book. Taeyong muttered something inaudible and Doyoung was scowling, furiously trying to finish his assignment before the bell rang.

"I said," Jungwoo said, leaning over the table, casting a shadow upon Jaehyun's book. " _There's a game next week_."

"We heard you the first time, Jungwoo." Taeyong sighed, rubbing circles into his temples. Taeyong always seemed exhausted or extremely energetic, and there seemed to be no in between. When Jaehyun asked Johnny if Taeyong was sick, he laughed it off saying Taeyong spent most of his time outside of school at a dance studio downtown and didn't get enough sleep.

"Well, you could have said something!" Jungwoo exclaimed, bouncing back to his seat. Johnny hummed once more, briefly looking up from his phone before going back to whatever he was looking at. "There's a game! There's going to be a party! We should go!" Jungwoo continued, his voice a little too loud.

"We're not invited." Doyoung deadpanned, closing his calculus textbook with a thud before dropping his forehead on the said book. Jaehyun winced at the sound it made, but no one else seemed to pay any attention.

With a roll of his eyes, Jungwoo sighed out loud. " _You_ may not be, but _I_ _am_. And I know for a fact Johnny hyung is too." Surprised, Jaehyun looked up at Johnny who shrugged his shoulders. "I mean yeah, they said I should drop by but I don't plan to."

"Oh come on, hyung! We haven't been to a party in years!" Jungwoo wailed, flapping his arms about. Taeyong groaned once again, mumbling inaudibly while Doyoung thumped his forehead on his textbook for good measure.

"Just say you want to find a reason to get drunk so you can hook up with Yuta and go, for god's sakes." Doyoung muttered a second later, his face still flat on his textbook. Jungwoo immediately pinkened at the comment, his eyes growing comically wide. "I didn't - no, that's not why - Doyoung hyung!"

Jaehyun watched Jungwoo flail about, amused. Johnny had once briefly mentioned something about Jungwoo having a crush on Yuta, but he never thought about it too much. Watching the normally cheeky Jungwoo blush and be flustered was definitely new.

"I don't know _where on earth_ you got that idea from, but wouldn't it be a good experience for Jaehyun? High school parties after games. Isn't that part of the 'American high school' experience?" Jungwoo asked, using his fingers to make the air quotations.

It was true, a part of Jaehyun had been wondering what an house party was like, ever since Jungwoo brought the topic up. He had read books, seen movies, and always wondered if house parties were truly like that. Immediately, Johnny turned to face Jaehyun. "Do you want to go?"

Suddenly everyone was looking at him, and Jaehyun couldn't help but shrink away at the sudden attention, trying to hide behind Johnny's larger frame. "I guess...? I only want to go if you guys want to, thought."

"I don't mind, really. Yuta said he was going anyways, and it's true, we haven't been to a party in a while." Johnny said, giving a reassuring smile to Jaehyun. "If you're down, I'll go." Jaehyun felt a bubble of excitement rise in him as he nodded his head up and down.

"Oh all right, for Jaehyun." Taeyong said a moment later, finally opening his eyes. Doyoung huffed next to him but didn't object, giving a small grunt as in affirmation.

"Oh wow..." Jaehyun said in awe, once they had approached the house where the party was at. The house, first of all, was definitely one of the biggest houses Jaehyun had seen since he came to the States. There were cars everywhere leading up to the house, and Jaehyun gulped down, feeling the nerves settle in as he heard the loud music thumping out of the house.

"Are you alright?" Johnny asked, peering down to look at Jaehyun. The younger's eyes were wide open, his mouth forming a little "o" as he was staring at the house in front of him. He nodded, his eyes darting from Johnny to the house to the cars lined up everywhere. "I'm - I'm fine, just a little... _taken_ _aback_?"

Johnny nodded, patting Jaehyun's back. "I'll be with you the whole night - whenever you want to head out, let me know." With that, Johnny led the way to the door of the house, his warm and large hand on the small of Jaehyun's back.

"Johnny!" They were immediately greeted by Yuta, who looked a lot more flushed than he normally did, a big smile stretched across his face. In his left hand, there was a red solo cup, something Jaehyun had only ever seen in movies. Jaehyun could only assume there was something alcoholic in the cup, and it made him feel jittery looking at it. Johnny immediately caught Yuta who was wobbling, the liquid in his cup sloshing dangerously.

"Hey, take it easy," Johnny said with a little grunt, helping Yuta regain his balance. The younger of the two cackled gleefully, raising his hands high up in the air, making both Johnny and Jaehyun grimace at his hand with the red solo cup. "Loosen up, Johnny boy! And Jaehyun! You're here too!" Yuta tried to go in for a hug, but Johnny stopped him before he could lunge himself at Jaehyun like he did to Johnny earlier.

"You're way too loose," Johnny grumbled, scanning around the house. This was when Jaehyun too, looked around the house and realised how packed it was. There were people everywhere - people he barely knew, some people he shared classes with, and just a whole bunch of new faces. He was sure some of them probably didn't even go to their school.

With one hand grabbing Jaehyun's arm, and the other dragging Yuta with him, Johnny pushed through the crowds. Several people called his name over the loud music, to which Johnny merely smiled and nodded in acknowledgement before stopping in the kitchen. The centre island was piled up with a bunch of drinks Jaehyun barely knew, and he knew he must have looked like a lost lamb there, his eyes wide and darting between everything.

While there were far less people in the kitchen then there were out in what Jaehyun assumed to be the living room, but there were still enough people to make Jaehyun feel nervous. No one was technically paying attention to him, either too immersed into their conversations with the people around them or just staring into space.

"You alright?" Johnny asked, gently tugging on his arm, breaking him from his daze. Blinking, Jaehyun nodded. Yuta was gone, something he hadn't noticed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright... There's a lot more people than I expected."

Johnny nodded his hand going back to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's a lot more crowded than I expected it to be." He looked towards the centre island, scanning its contents before facing Jaehyun again. "I know we haven't really talked about this before, but do you want to uh, drink? It's totally cool if you don't want to, but--"

"I..." Jaehyun hesitated, opening his mouth before closing it again. A part of him wants to nod, say yes and gulp down whatever the pink liquid that was sitting in a big bowl in the cooler. But a more sane part of his brain was saying no, that the drink was definitely going to end him and that was definitely not how he wanted to end the night. "Um, maybe I can have a beer? Or something?"

Jaehyun had beer before, his parents let him have a whole can a couple of times, and while he wasn't exactly fond of the taste, he knew it was something he was more familiar with. Johnny nodded, flashing him a quick smile before reaching into the cooler to bring out two cans of beer. Jaehyun thanked him, feeling the jitters rise in his stomach again as he slowly pushed open the tab.

"Let me know if you want water or anything, yeah?" Johnny said, carefully watching the younger as he took a sip of his beer. Jaehyun nodded, swishing the bitter liquid in his mouth before drowning it down. As much as he wasn't too crazy about how beer tasted, the cool liquid felt good going down his body. He knew he wasn't lightweight - his parents both had high alcohol tolerance, and he himself had never been drunk. But still, he was a little nervous, excited, and self conscious about drinking beer somewhere foreign, surrounded by people he didn't know.

They stood there for a while, sipping on their beers and listening to the loud, boisterous music, talking about random things. It was amazing how Johnny had this sort of calming effect on Jaehyun - the nerves were gone, maybe it was the alcohol working, but Jaehyun stood there, smiling and talking to Johnny like he did any time. They were soon interrupted by Taeyong, who also fell on top of Johnny the second he spotted the taller male.

"Johnny! Jaehyun! You guys made it!" Taeyong shouted, a little too loud for Jaehyun. Jaehyun smiled, reaching out to brush Taeyong's long bangs from his face. The elder man smiled lazily, resting his head on Johnny's shoulder. "Yong, how much have you had to drink?" Johnny muttered, struggling to balance his friend in his arms.

"I don't know! I came with Jungwoo and Doyoung but they went off somewhere..." Taeyong said, jutting his lips out in a pout. Jaehyun couldn’t help but smile - while Johnny, Taeyong, and Yuta were all the same age, Taeyong acted like a baby compared to them. “Okay, well you definitely need some water, dude.” Johnny said, patting Taeyong’s freshly bleached grey hair.

“Jay, do you mind keeping him company for a second? I’ll go grab some water, and if I can, I’ll go grab Doyoung or something.” Jaehyun nodded, helping Taeyong get off Johnny and lean on to him. Taeyong groaned, his head lolling over while Jaehyun steadied him with arm. With one last apologetic smile, Johnny was off.

“You and Johnny are both 90% muscle.” Taeyong suddenly muttered, his eyes closed and head rolling. Jaehyun chuckled, letting his head rest on his shoulder before opening his mouth. “Johnny hyung, I agree, but me? I don’t work out as much.”

Taeyong tsked, wagging his finger in the air. “Shut up Jeong, I know what’s underneath this shirt of yours,” Taeyong flicked Jaehyun’s shirt up, instantly making him blush. “But I guess you do seem a lot smaller next to Johnny… It’s not a bad thing, you know, you look so much younger and cute next to him.”

Jaehyun was now really feeling the heat rise to his cheeks, having to fan himself down. He was sure he didn’t have that much beer, but he was feeling light-headed, and realised he had also drowned his whole can. The thought, image of him being smaller next to Johnny was something he had never thought about. It was true, Johnny was a good head taller than him and a lot bulkier. While Jaehyun wasn’t short by any means, whenever he stood behind Johnny, his whole figure disappeared.

“You and Johnny look good together, you know that?” Taeyong continued, taking no mind of Jaehyun who had fallen silent a couple seconds earlier. “Johnny’s so sweet when he’s around you and you look so happy you’re with him, Jaehyunnie~”

Baffled, flustered, and mind not working, all Jaehyun could do was sputter out random noises, trying to make Taeyong stop. Thankfully, Taeyong’s attention quickly moved onto Johnny who was making his way towards them with what seemed like a bottle of water in one hand and his other hand around Jungwoo’s wrist.

“Taeyong, here, have this.” Johnny cracked open the lid, pushing it to Taeyong’s empty hands before turning to Jaehyun. “Well, I couldn’t find Doyoung but I found this one,” He said motioning towards Jungwoo who was pouting. “He’s in a snit because he can’t find Yuta, and Doyoung is nowhere to be found either.”

Jaehyun nodded, somewhat confused and trying to read the air at the same time. Johnny shrugged his shoulders when their eyes met, when he noticed the empty half crushed can in Jaehyun’s hands. “You good with that? Or do you want something new?”

“Uh… I think I’ll have another beer, yeah.” Jaehyun said. Johnny nodded, taking the empty can from his hand. “I’ll go get you a new one. Wanna come with?” Jaehyun glanced at Taeyong who shook his head, flapping his hand away. “Go, Jungwoo can keep me company and I’m too tired to go anywhere, anyways.”

With a shrug, Johnny reached out a hand to Jaehyun. Praying the house was dark enough to cover his pinkening ears, Jaehyun took his hand, letting the elder navigate him back to the kitchen where they were some time ago.

“I don’t want to… um, overstep my boundaries, but are Yuta and Doyoung…?” Jaehyun asked once they reached the kitchen and Johnny had pulled out two more cans of beers for them. Johnny sighed, staring at the ceiling before opening his mouth. “Honestly, I have no idea. They’re both weird about it, so I don’t think they plan to date or anything but. You know, they’re just casually hooking up, only when they get drunk, too.”

Jaehyun nodded, letting it sink in. While it wasn’t all that hard to believe, it was also something relatively new to him; he didn’t know anyone back in Korea who were in casual relationships, and the thought of two friends hooking up was definitely new to him.

“It’s a little shocking for you, huh?” Johnny asked, cocking his head to the side. There was a playful glint in his eyes, and Jaehyun gulped down his beer. He didn’t know if it was the alcohol, but there was something different about the Johnny standing in front of him: with his oversized hoodie and jeans, there should have been nothing out of the ordinary and yet, Jaehyun’s heart was thumping loudly in his ribcage. Maybe it was because of how he had brushed his long bangs away from his face earlier, or the light sheen of sweat glistening on his skin.

“Don’t worry, they’re usually a little weird after they hook up for a while but they eventually get over it.” Johnny said, not seeming to take any notice of how Jaehyun was gaping at him. Prying his eyes off of Johnny, Jaehyun managed a nod while clearing his throat. He chugged down some more beer in efforts to cool his brain.

Johnny was quiet for a while, when he faced Jaehyun, a grin on his face. “We should dance.”

“Wh-what?” Jaehyun asked, surprised, thinking he misheard the elder. Johnny’s grin only grew wider as he came in closer, repeating the same words in a louder voice. “I said, we should dance!”

Jaehyun didn't know what was happening or who moved first, but by the time he realised he was getting dragged into the cluster of people by Johnny. The elder looked at Jaehyun over his shoulder, his sly grin stretched across his face; everything besides Johnny seemed like a blur, and the only thing Jaehyun could focus on was his big, warm hands holding his, and the brimming smile he gave Jaehyun.

“I-I can’t dance,” Jaehyun managed, a little breathless once they reached the middle of the crowd. Johnny shook his head, grabbing Jaehyun by both wrists and making him move with him. “Doesn’t matter - just move with me.”

It was awkward at first - Jaehyun wasn’t sure what was happening, how to move, but everything about Johnny was contagious; it didn’t take long before Jaehyun was moving with him without a care in the world. They moved with each other, surrounded by all sorts of people Jaehyun probably wouldn’t even remember about tomorrow. But nothing seemed to matter - all that mattered in the moment was Johnny. His eyes never seemed to leave Jaehyun, and everytime Jaehyun looked into his, Johnny smiled, his eyes warm and sparkling.

Within the next couple of hours, the party had calmed down. Jaehyun noticed most people had swapped their drinks for bongs, and the smell of what he believed was weed was floating in the air. He was fairly buzzed; he had some couple more beers, joined in a round of beer pong that he got way too competitive over, and had some jungle juice while Johnny watched him worriedly. He wasn’t drunk - or he believed he wasn’t - and the party settling down was also calming him from his high.

“Come on, Jungwoo. Wake up,” Jaehyun turned around to see Johnny trying to hoist a drunk and half asleep Jungwoo up, while Taeyong, who was completely passed out, was somehow managing to stand on his two feet with Yuta’s support.

Doyoung stood behind them, his face flushed and hair looking wet from what was supposedly sweat. He caught Jaehyun’s eyes for a second before looking away, a guilty expression crossing his face. Jaehyun didn’t question it, letting his gaze fall back to Johnny who had managed to get Jungwoo’s arm around his neck, grunting as he hoisted him on his feet.

It was evident that it was time for them to go home soon. They were at the party for a good couple of hours, and by the end, Jaehyun had not only managed to strike up a conversation with a bunch of people he had never talked to before, but also felt like he was able to see what Johnny was like around people besides him and their group of friends. Johnny was magnetic; everyone at the party seemed to know, or at least know of Johnny, welcoming him with a hug and a pat on his back every time he came around. He was the centre of attention without doing anything, people clambering around him just to hear him tell a story about something dumb that happened to him before.

While Johnny was always sweet and definitely a social butterfly compared to Jaehyun or anyone else in their little union, seeing him talk and joke with a bunch of other people Jaehyun didn’t recognise was definitely an experience.

“Jaehyun? You good to go?”

Jaehyun was broken out of his thoughts when Johnny called out to him, jolting him up. He nodded hurriedly, draining down whatever was in his cup in one go. He must have made a face, because Johnny laughed at him while motioning him to get over here. Throwing his now empty red solo cup into the trash, Jaehyun jogged over to where Johnny was with Jungwoo on his back.

“How was your first party,” Johnny asked once they left the house, the cold night breeze making Jaehyun shiver. He rubbed his arms with his hands, pondering for a second. “It was...a lot.” He managed after a while, earning a laugh from Johnny.

“I had a lot of fun, definitely felt like one of those geeky kids that got invited to their first party and everything seemed crazy,” Jaehyun said, chuckling to himself. “I get why it’s such a big deal now. It was fun, really. Thanks for taking me, hyung.”

Johnny smiled, shifting Jungwoo so he was better able to face Jaehyun. “No problem, dude. Just wanted you to have fun and experience your first party.” Jaehyun smiled as they walked in silence for a second before Johnny opened his mouth again. “It’s nice to hear you call me hyung after all I heard was my name being yelled all over the place.”

Surprised, Jaehyun turned to face Johnny who had a sheepish look on his face. “What? I spend so much more time with you, I’m used to hearing ‘hyung’ after my name.”

Jaehyun laughed out loud, shaking his head. He still remembers how surprised Johnny looked when he called him hyung for the first time, and now he often heard Johnny chiding Doyoung and Jungwoo whenever they called him without adding the honorific at the end of his name.

_“Ah, hyung, you’re impossible.”_

❝ ❞

By the time Jaehyun realised, he was finished with his first semester and Christmas was right around the corner. The last bit of the semester was a blur, with assignments popping up left and right, he barely had the time to call his parents.

“It’s fine, mom, I’m getting enough sleep and eating well,” Jaehyun laughed, watching his mother’s worried expression over the screen. He had officially entered winter break yesterday, and decided to let his parents know he was free for a couple of weeks before he had to go back to school. In all honesty, he was rather enjoying his classes at his new high school, and was somewhat excited to get back.

“I’m just worried, Yoonoh. You haven’t been away from us this long, and you barely contacted us the last two weeks!” His mother said, and Jaehyun had to stifle a yawn before he shook his head. “I’m sorry, I was just really busy, mom. Time differences and all that, it was hard to call you.”

Jaehyun checked his clock on his desk, noticing he only had a couple more minutes before he had to leave. Mrs. Suh had told him a couple weeks back that Johnny’s cousin, Mark, who lived in New York, was going to be spending Christmas with them and Johnny was going to be picking him today from the airport. Obviously, Jaehyun wanted to tag along - he heard a lot about Mark from Johnny and couldn’t wait to meet him.

“Mom, I’m really sorry but I have to get going soon.” Jaehyun said apologetically, biting down on his bottom lip. His mother looked worried more than ever as she nodded absentmindedly, sighing before opening her mouth again. “Don’t ever leave me on ‘read’ again, Jeong Yoonoh. Otherwise, I’ll fly to Chicago and bring you back myself!”

Walking through the International O’Hare Airport again brought nostalgic feelings back to Jaehyun. The airport was busy as ever, with people flying in and out for the holidays. Johnny seemed excited as he walked a couple steps ahead of Jaehyun, turning his head in all directions looking around for his younger cousin.

“Johnny!”

`

Just then, a voice behind them shouted out Johnny’s name; both boys turned around to see a petie boy with dark locks covered in a beanie with big wide-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He was waving towards them, a big grin stretched across his face.

“Mark!” Johnny shouted back, running over his cousin to scoop him up into a big hug. The smaller boy cackled gleefully as he was enveloped by Johnny’s bigger frame, letting the older boy literally tackle him. Jaehyun watched as Johnny pulled off Mark’s beanie, ruffling his hair as he dragged his cousin towards Jaehyun.

“Jaehyun, this is Mark, my cousin.” Johnny said, finally letting go of Mark before wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “And Mark, this is Jaehyun.”

“Aw, sweet! Really was looking forward to meeting you, man!” Mark said, pulling his hand out for a handshake. Jaehyun smiled, reaching out. “It’s a pleasure to finally be able to meet you too, Mark.”

Mark looked a lot younger than Jaehyun had envisioned him to be; he was petite compared to Johnny, and there was a certain youthfulness to him that made him seem adorable to Jaehyn’s eyes. Jaehyun walked alongside Johnny and Mark as they trekked back to Johnny’s car, laughing and giggling whenever Johnny teased Mark.

The next two weeks flew by quickly, and by the time Jaehyun realised, it was already Christmas. Jaehyun had always longed for a white Christmas, and was more than overjoyed when he saw the speckles of snow sprinkling down to the ground from the sky. Mark was also a joy, and the more time he spent with the younger, Jaehyun found himself falling for his charms more and more.

“Did you get Johnny something? For, Christmas, I mean.”

It was one of those days Jaehyun was left with Mark in the Suh’s backyard. They were playing basketball, a sport they both enjoyed to the distaste of Johnny. Johnny was off somewhere, taking photos of his old elementary school’s Christmas recital. “I do it every year,” Johnny had told him earlier with a shrug before heading out.

“I did,” Jaehyun said, letting the ball from his hands, watching it as it bounced off the ground. “I don’t know if he’ll like it though.”

To be honest, Jaehyun was rather nervous about his gift for Johnny. He was sure Johnny would thank him for it, and tell him he loves it, but he was still worried. Jaehyun had gotten Johnny a new leather camera strap, with the engraving “J.J.S.”, something he found after scurrying multiple hours on Etsy, looking for the perfect gift. It arrived just last evening, and Jaehyun had to run to the mailbox before anyone else brought it in.

“Nah, you could give him like, a banana peel and he’ll still be thanking you for it. On the other hand, I could give him something really sick and he’ll still give me shit for it.” Mark said, scrunching his nose, laughing a second later. Jaehyun barked out a laugh, watching the younger pick up the ball he had dropped earlier. “I know… he’ll say thank you and all that but still, I’m a little… how do you say,” Jaehyun racked his brain for the right English world, watching Mark who was tilting his head to the side with a questioning look on his face.

“Ah, I don’t know what I even want to say but,” Jaehyun chuckled, reaching out to knock the ball out of Mark’s hand, followed by his whines a second later. “I just hope he’ll like it.”

Christmas at the Suh’s was a fun affair; Mrs. Suh cooked a variety of both Western and Korean dishes while Johnny blasted Christmas music on his speakers. The three of them were tasked to shovel out the snow, but ended up in a snow fight within minutes, calling the rest of Johnny’s friends to come join them. Mr. Suh only gave them a wry smile when he caught the three boys wet and shivering, quickly shooing them towards the shower before his wife could notice.

After a warm shower and pulling on a ugly Christmas sweater Mrs. Suh bought for the three of them, Jaehyun padded back to the kitchen. Mrs. Suh smiled when she saw Jaehyun (he was the only one she trusted the kitchen with), motioning him to come closer.

_“Jaehyun-ah, have some of this.”_

Smiling gratefully, Jaehyun opened his mouth to welcome the slice of roast beef Mrs. Suh had made. Moaning and giving a bunch of praises, Jaehyun swallowed the meat down, hugging Mrs. Suh before he too was shooed out of the kitchen.

While Jaehyun was sure he had a big appetite, he was also sure he never had been so full before. Groaning out loud, Jaehyun stood from his chair to move the empty dishes to the sink, grunting every time he had to move another limb.

“Woah, you good?” Mark asked, his face slightly flushed from the glass of wine he drank at dinner. Mark was definitely a lightweight compared to Johnny and him, and the way his doe eyes were slightly watery, and the apple of his cheeks flushed red made him look a whole lot younger.

“Yeah, I’m good. I just have a food baby.” Jaehyun groaned as he nudged the younger to make him some space on the couch. Soon, Johnny came running towards them, a bright smile on his face, flailing his arms around as he jumped on spot. “Come on, guys! It’s present unwrapping time!”

Interestingly, the Suh’s didn’t open their Christmas presents first thing in the morning but rather, in the night after dinner. When Jaehyun asked Johnny why, the elder had shrugged and pouted: “I don’t know - it’s always been like that. Only our family, though.” (Jaehyun thinks he rather likes it).

“Jaehyun, those are yours,” Johnny said as he took Jaehyun’s arms and navigated him towards a pile of neatly wrapped Christmas presents underneath the tree. Surprised, Jaehyun stood there staring at the bundles; he maybe expected one or two presents, but nothing more than that. In front of him, there were at least five different packages.

“That one is from your parents in Korea, Jaehyun-ah,” Suddenly, Mrs. Suh was behind Jaehyun as she put her hands on his arms. “They asked me to keep it a secret from you - the last time I hid Christmas presents was when Johnny was 7 years old!”

Managing a meek smile, Jaehyun sat down on the ground to unwrap his presents. While he wanted to carefully wrap the paper, he was impatient like Johnny and Mark, and ended up ripping the paper to shreds. He smiled when he saw his parents had sent him a pair of new gloves; the Suh’s had given him a beautiful fountain pen that almost made him tear up. Taeyong and Yuta had gotten him new bluetooth earphones, while Doyoung and Jungwoo got him a Chicago cubs cap. Even Mark had gotten him a gift, some studs for Jaehyun’s recently pierced ears.

And that was it. Jaehyun couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he didn’t see anything from Johnny lying around; as much as he was grateful and loved all the presents he received from everyone else, a part of him was hoping to get a gift from Johnny. Jaehyun scanned the room for the elder when he realised he wasn’t there; next to Jaehyun, Mark sat on the ground in a pile of shredded wrapping paper, and Mr. and Mrs. Suh was on the couch, laughing at Mark.

“Where did hyung go?” Jaehyun muttered to himself, getting himself up. Ignoring the looks from Mrs. Suh, Jaehyun left the living room and quickly walked up to the second floor where the bedrooms were. The door to Johnny’s room was slightly open, the light peaking through into the dark hallways. Slowly and quietly, Jaehyun shuffled towards the room, craning his neck to look into the room. Sure enough, Johnny was in his room hunched over his desk.

“Johnny hyung,” Jaehyun said, fully letting himself into the room. Johnny jumped, quickly turning around to look at Jaehyun with wide eyes. “Jaehyun,” He said breathlessly, staring at Jaehyun for a second before scrambling around to hide whatever he was doing on his desk.

“I thought we’re opening presents.” Jaehyun knew he sounded cold, not like his usual self, but he was hurt. He was sad that Johnny hadn’t gotten a preset for him, sure, but was even more upset at the fact he didn’t even bother to stay behind to open the present Jaehyun had gotten for Johnny.

Johnny sighed, his right hand going up to rub at his nape. “Yeah, I’m sorry… I just had to add some finishing touches to this and wanted to wrap it up but, oh well,” With a sheepish smile, Johnny pulled out what he had hid earlier from his back, handing it out to Jaehyun. “Here you go. Merry Christmas, Jaehyun-ah.”

Dumbfounded, surprised, and shocked, Jaehyun’s eyes went from the gift Johnny was holding out to him, to Johnny’s face. Johnny was holding something that looked like a binder of some sort; gulping down, Jaehyun reached out to accept the gift.

“Uh, it’s not anything too much but, I thought it might be nice? It’s a photo album.” Johnny said, obviously sounding nervous. He was toying with an imaginary stray hem on his shirt, biting down on his lip as he watched Jaehyun accept his gift.

Out of a sudden, Jaehyun felt breathless as he let his fingers trail over the album Johnny gave him; it was a simple black album book with a window in the front for a picture. Jaehyun sucked in his breath when he realised Johnny had put in a photo they just took a couple days ago, with everyone from their friend group in the cover. With a bated breath, Jaehyun opened the album and felt it harder to breathe, his heart swelling into ten times the size as he went through each page.

There were photos - tons of photos Johnny had taken since Jaehyun had arrived in Chicago. Photos of Jaehyun eating, photos of Jaehyun jutting out his lower lip as he attempted to focus. Photos of Jaehyun laughing with Jungwoo and Yuta. Photos from when Johnny took Jaehyun to the drive-in theatre for the first time. There were photos everywhere, a snapshot of each memory Jaehyun had made and cherished during his time in Chicago.

The two were silent for a while, the only noises being the pages being flipped. Jaehyun was too immersed, trying hard not to let the tears fall from his eyes, not wanting to cry in front of Johnny nor wanting to ruin the photos with his tears.

When Jaehyun flipped to the next page, he was surprised to see it blank. Instinctively, he looked up to look at Johnny who was staring at him with round eyes. “Do you… like it?” Johnny asked before Jaehyun could, startling Jaehyun.

“Hyung, I- I… of course I love it, hyung. Thank you, this is the best thing I’ve ever received.” Jaehyun said, the words tumbling out of his mouth. He meant every word of it, and wanted Johnny to know how much he loved it, how moved he was, and how thankful he was for the elder.

Johnny visibly relaxed at Jaehyun’s words, chuckling as he stuck both hands into his jean pockets. “I’m glad, I really wanted you to like it.” He smiled shyly at Jaehyun, his whiskers popping out. “Those blank pages - I left them black because I thought you might want to keep adding more photos. I mean, you still have some time left….”

They both fell silent again, as if the word “time” brought a sharp gust of wind between them. While it seemed like Jaehyun had only been in Chicago for a month or so, he was well aware that he was done with his first half of his exchange program and had less than half a year left. He was soon going to be having to prepare to leave Chicago, go back to his normal life in Korea.

_“Let’s make the most of the time left, Jaehyun-ah.”_

Johnny’s voice was warm and gentle, as he took Jaehyun’s hands into his. Jaehyun always thought he could get lost in Johnny’s eyes; they were shade of deep brown, warm and inviting, and there was nothing more that calmed Jaehyun down. Managing a smile, Jaehyun nodded his head.

“Thank you, Johnny hyung.”

❝ ❞

The next couple of months flew by, and day by day, Jaehyun was learning to appreciate all the wonderful people he had around him. Like how Mrs. Suh always bought some of Jaehyun’s favourite Korean snacks. Or how Johnny would always toss Jaehyun’s towel over the radiator so it’ll be warm for him when he comes out.

He still kept in touch with Mark who was a bundle of joy; Jaehyun knew he was going to miss Mark dreadfully once he left, despite promising that they’ll definitely visit each other in the future. Maybe because everyone else was also noticing how fast time was going by, their friend group always tried to schedule events to fulfill Jaehyun’s ‘American high school experience’.

And Jaehyun truly loved every moment of it.

He didn’t think there could be a happier exchange student on earth. With such a loving host family, a welcoming group of friends, and most of all, someone who understood and cared for him more than anyone, Jaehyun could have proudly said he was the happiest, luckiest exchange student on earth.

As Jaehyun packed his belongings to the suitcases he had originally arrived in Chicago with, he couldn’t help but feel upset. He had sent a bunch of things home already, but wanted to keep some of the things with him till the very last minute. There were things he bought with his friends, things his friends had given to him, and most of all, there was the photo album Johnny gave to him.

Just as Johnny had promised, he continued to take photos of Jaehyun. Jaehyun argued that it wasn’t fair that he didn’t have any photos of Johnny, and also managed to snag a couple of photos of Johnny as well. The album was mostly filled, with maybe only one or two more pages left. Jaehyun traced along the smooth cover of the photo album, naturally a smile growing on his face. The album proved his time, memories, and his existence in Chicago, he liked to think.

“Oh, Jaehyun, we’re going to miss you so much.”

Mrs. Suh was already tearing up, as she furiously blinked her eyes. Mr. Suh had a solemn smile on his face as he gave Jaehyun a firm pat on his shoulder. He wasn’t a man of a lot of words unlike his wife and son, but was a kind man and Jaehyun had bonded with him during his stay.

Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, and Jungwoo had also come to the airport to say goodbye to Jaehyun, and seeing their somber faces made Jaehyun’s heart ache. He also called Mark the night before, and Mark had gotten a little sniffly over the phone, saying how much he’ll miss the elder.

“I’ll miss you too, Mrs. Suh. I’ll miss Chicago, so much.” Jaehyun tried to hide the tremor in his voice, plastering a smile on his face. He didn’t like to cry, especially not in public. Jaehyun’s eyes travelled to where Johnny was, standing quietly. He was staring at his feet, and Jaehyun knew more than anyone that as much as he was feeling pain, so was Johnny.

After all, Johnny was special to him. And he could only think that he was too, to Johnny.

Jaehyun let his gaze linger on Johnny for a second longer before he turned back to everyone. “I should get going now, but thank you so much. For everything. I couldn’t be more thankful to each and one of you. Thank you for making me the happiest person alive.”

Mrs. Suh began to cry with Taeyong sniffling and Jungwoo’s eyes also getting misty. After hugging and squeezing the life out of each other, Jaehyun began to wheel his suitcases, when suddenly, they were taken away from his hands. Surprised, he turned around to see an expressionless Johnny there, wordlessly taking Jaehyun’t suitcases into his own hands.

“Jaehyun,” Before Jaehyun could open his mouth to thank Johnny, the elder began to speak first. “I… I haven’t thought it out properly, and well, I don’t know if I can actually do it but… I think I’m going to apply to Korean universities.”

Johnny’s statement caused everyone to stop in their tracks, all gawking at Johnny. “That’s the first time I’ve heard of such thing!” Mrs. Suh exclaimed, while Mr. Suh shrugged, an exasperated yet fond smile on his face. Taeyong’s eyes were bulging wide, and Doyoung’s jaw seemed to have forgotten how to close itself, but all Jaehyun could focus on was Johnny.

Johnny’s eyes were serious, no sign or joking or laughter in place. Jaehyun knew what Johnny looked like when he was serious, and he knew he was right now.

“You made me realise how much I’ve been out of touch with my roots, and I couldn’t be more thankful for you, letting me realise that.” Johnny took another deep breath. “And… I want to spend time with you, in your hometown. I want to go to all the places you talked about, all the places you said you wanted to take me. I want to live in Korea, where you’ll be.”

Johnny’s words not only knocked out Jaehyun, but everyone else around him. Too stunned, Jaehyun stood there rooted to the ground until he caught sight of the clock behind Johnny. He had to go now, or otherwise he was going to miss his flight, and as much as he wanted to do so, he knew he couldn’t afford to do so.

While there was nothing Jaehyun could have said, too excited, too stunned, he knew more than anything that he too, wanted to spend more time with Johnny, anywhere in the world. A thrill and spurge of energy and courage ran through his veins as Jaehyun grabbed Johnny by the arm, pulling him towards him and kissing him on the mouth.

_“I’ll be waiting, hyung.”_

Before anyone could say anything more, Jaehyun took his suitcases from the zoned out Johnny’s grasp, turned to bow to all of them before scurrying towards the gates. He was sure his face and ears were red, adrenaline running through his veins, but nothing could have made him happier.

Just before he was going to really lose sight of everyone, Jaehyun turned around to catch a glimpse of Johnny, who was standing there with red cheeks and his hands in his hair. At the same time Jaehyun grinned, Johnny looked up, locking eyes for a second.

And that was enough for Jaehyun. Now all he had to do was go home, and wait.

❝ ❞

_“Come on, Donghyuck, we’re already late!”_

Jaehyun half yelled, pulling his cousin by the arm. Donghyuck muttered something about Jaehyun being an heartless ass, but nothing could’ve ruined Jaehyun’s mood.

Today was the day.

Even the mere thought of it made Jaehyun smile. He thought about all the texts and calls Johnny and he exchanged during their time apart. Jaehyun supported Johnny while he was struggling with his college applications, and Johnny supported Jaehyun while Jaehyun struggled with the intense studying he had to endure as a Korean high schooler. While time zones were a bitch and life tended to get in their way, they managed to keep in touch, only getting to know each other better.

Jahyun had cried when Johnny had called him, telling him he got accepted to Seoul National University, and they spent the whole night crying their eyes out. There was nothing more relieving than knowing Johnny was most definitely, going to be spending at least four years by Jaehyun’s side.

He could barely keep his excitement as he rushed through the crowds of people, basically running to the arrival gates, completely forgetting about Donghyuck. Johnny’s plane should have landed a while ago, and Jaehyun could feel it that he was coming out soon.

And as on cue, the sliding doors opened to show a tall figure with a mop of brown hair, clumsily struggling with two big suitcases, coming out. Before Jaehyun could yell out his name, Johnny lifted his head, and their eyes met.

Johnny broke into a face splitting grin and so did Jaehyun, his dimples creating craters in his cheeks. Jaehyun held up the sign in his hands up higher, and couldn’t help but feel accomplished when he saw Johnny laugh out loud.

_“Welcome to Seoul, Johnny!”_

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU if you made it till here, I hope you enjoyed reading!
> 
> I'm so so so so sorry if any of this felt rushed, I originally had it planned differently but Mind Wouldn't Cooperate and this is the end result. At the same time, I don't hate it so much? ALSO, I apologise if I skipped over a lot of events lol I would also like to mentioned I didn't go to high school in the States. 
> 
> [twitter!](https://twitter.com/suhpresso)  
> [curious cat!](https://curiouscat.qa/suhpresso)


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